Assassination of President J.F Kennedy
Introduction
President J. F Kennedy was a man who left an important mark in the history of America. He was the youngest ever president to be voted into office. His youth, elegance, charm and energy touched the lives of many and his memories still linger in their minds years after his mysterious death. He served for a period of three years before his life was cut short by assassins. This paper seeks to find out who killed President Kennedy and whether or not he acted alone (Sheila, 19).
History
According to Gerald (25), President Kennedy was born in Brookline on March 29, 1917. He was the second born of Joseph Kennedy, a powerful businessman and rose Kennedy, the daughter of the then mayor of Boston. He was born in an affluent family because his father was hard working and was paid a lot of money through his businesses. He had projects in motion pictures, land, the stock market and ship building. These encouraged President Kennedy and according to Lucia (30), he grew up knowing that, hard work is essential for the achievement of success. The Kennedys were sent to the best schools and this gave President Kennedy an opportunity to acquire the best education.
School life
According to Lucia Raatma, Kennedy was taken to the best school in the region at the time, Canterbury school in New Milford, Connecticut. He however became ill while at school and was required to study from home. He went through many kinds of sufferings. He had poor health, he was sick mostly and at times his friends ran away from him because of his condition. These hardships, thou discouraging helped shape the man he became. He was lonely, but he learnt to fight his way through and become optimistic. This loneliness made him develop love for reading. He read a lot to help keep busy and one of his favorite books was the tales of King Arthur (Lucia, 27).
According to Lucia, President Kennedy got better and he was able to go to a boarding school for his high school. His performance was however not as expected by many. “Everyone expected Jack to be as successful as Joe, but he had a harder time. His grades were only average. He also felt that school rules were too strict. his father expected him to work hard and honor the family but he felt he had to be himself – and he often got into trouble” (Lucia,10). President Kennedy was still under average. His health was also a contributing factor. He was ever sick and this discouraged him too. According to Sheila, sickness can be stubborn and may be an obstacle to achieving an individual’s dreams.
He pursued his education though and later went to Harvard where he studied politics. In spite of his illness which was relentless, he did well. He managed to publish a book, Why England Slept, which won him a price and made him popular. He was later attached to the navy and his popularity continued to advance when he later saved his colleagues from sinking when the boat they were in capsized. He later appeared all over the newspapers and he gained popularity. After 1945, he fulfilled his father’s wish and entered into politics which saw him into presidency.
According to James Giglio, an interview done on a number of Americans reveals that 80% of people admit that president Kennedy departed with many dreams unfulfilled. The study shows that he is still the most popular chief executive. This is because, they claim, he had a Hollywood appearance and he inspired many young people to dedicate themselves to national service and to public life. He had a captivating style that attracted many people and a perceived idealism and vision. They claimed that Kennedy’s presidency brought about a renewed sense of optimism and idealism. Records reveal that he was always above a 60% in the approval rating of the Gallup polls (Gerald, 37).
Assassination
According to David, memories are enhanced by the circumstances that brought about his death. President Kennedy was gunned down on 22nd November 1963. According to a presidential commission set out investigate the death of president Kennedy, he was assassinated by one Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby (56).
According to Livingstone (126), on January 28 1963, a mail order was placed by one A.J. Hidell. He claims that he bought a Smith & Wesson .38 special revolver from seaport traders. He also purchased a 6.5mm mannlicher-carcano Italian military rifle with a four-power scope and the shipment was set to be delivered to hidell’s post office box in Dallas Texas. Hidell could hardly wait for the arrival of both guns which arrived on the 20th of march. He was so proud of the guns, he posed for photographs with them on the next day. The wife did not understand why her husband was so proud of his guns though. She took pictures of him at his backyard, claims Livingstone, hardly did she know that her husband had ordered for the guns with a different name and had weird plans with them. She obediently did whatever she had been asked to do.
Oswald was a civil air patrol officer, who developed very high tempers. He was an excellent shot though and this earned him the title of “sharpshooter”. He had a bad temper that made him find himself in problems with the authorities. He was stationed in Japan but defected to Russia after reading Russian spy literature and discovered the idea of socialism. He went back to the United States after he married Marina. His anger, military training and loyalty led to the increase of hatred towards the leadership of the United States. These made him to be a close follower of politics and international events. He kept secret diaries and notes as well as plans.
According to the Nashville Tennessean newspaper, during this time president Kennedy was fighting against communism. He had allowed attacks on Cuba in the quest to promote democracy in underdeveloped countries. In the midst of all these, he stopped the soviets from building nuclear launch sites in Cuba. These developments displeased Oswald, David argues, that he attended Kennedy’s presidential parade alongside other Texans, but with a different plan in mind. “…he had a plan to show his dislike for the United States and its leadership” (David, 22).
A very humble and passionate Kennedy sat on the back of the limousine. According to Mara, “women adored him and men wished to be like him, because he was the best president America had ever had. The streets were filled with thousands of admirers, waving, clapping and taking pictures.” The next presidential election was coming up, and he wanted to familiarize himself with the people. The governor and his wife were on the front seats. I t was when the wife turned to make a comment when the unthinkable happened. Oswald was there, according to Mara, accomplishing the desires of his heart, and that of Kennedy’s opponents (Gerald, 7).
According to the Nashville Tennessean newspaper, “there are many more who must have been involved in the assassination of our beloved president. Many parties must have played a part.” Harrison Livingstone (61) claims that H. L. Hunt was involved in the assassination. He was the most affluent man at the time. He is suspected to have financed the assassination. He was Johnson’s strongest supporter who was the chief opponent of President Kennedy. He, together with his two sons made public their hatred for President Kennedy. Hunt was reported by Joachim Joesten in The Case against Lyndon Johnson in the Assassination against President Kennedy, publicly saying that Kennedy should be shot because “there was no way to get those traitors out of government except by shooting them out”.
According to a report of The Nashville Tennessean newspaper, Oswald was working for Hunt. This was evident from a note which Oswald wrote them and the handwriting was verified as his and authenticated by John Curringtton, president of a company owned by Hunt. The letter read, “Dear Mr. hunt, I would like information concerning my position. I am asking only for information. I am suggesting that we discuss the matter fully before any steps are taken by me or anyone else. Thank you, lee Harvey Oswald”. Livingstone claims that this was evidence enough to show that hunt played a part in the assassination of President Kennedy (Livingstone, 35).
According to Livingstone, Lt. George Butler was also involved in the sudden murder of President Kennedy. He was one of Hunt’s closest police friends. According to The J. F Magazine of 13th 2008, newspaper, he appeared to have protected hunt in his attempt to bribe the Dallas police. He taped the bribe offer which apparently was not good enough, and kept the tapes in his house. They were later found by police in his house. He was the one in charge of Oswald’s transfer on the weekend of the murder. On that weekend, he seemed very nervous and according to Thayer Waldo, a reporter for the Fort Worth Telegram, “Butler was extremely nervous and it was very uncharacteristic of him”. This behavior and the tapes found in his house made him a prime suspect in connection with the murder of President Kennedy (Livingstone, 66).
Livingstone argues that Clint Murchison and his team was part of Kennedy’s assassination. They were part of the opposition team. They were aware of the planned assassination and did nothing about it. His team was gathered at his house on the night before the assassination. They seemed to have planned the whole process, Livingstone argues. Connaly, who was shot along with President Kennedy but survived, recorded that the limousine had pulled out of line before the shooting. The car sped off until Kennedy’s head was blasted apart. He had seen every bit of it and knew that the whole event was well planned. Those who knew about it must have been planned so well in advance and dared not tell anyone (Livingstone, 44).
Another party believed to have played a part in the assassination of the president according to Sheila, is Billy Byars. He was a proprietor of a wealthy oil company. It is reported that he received a call on the day of the assassination from Hoover. When Byars was interviewed after Kennedy’s assassination, he was asked whether he thought Lee Oswald was responsible and this is all he could say, “…if I told you what I really know, it would be dangerous to this country. Our whole political system could be disrupted.” And he walked away. His statement made him a prime suspect of the assassination for it was alleged that he must have been a part of it.
According to the Warren report, Charles Mannson was one of the potential assassins. A political activist whose gun hand was deflected by a Vietnam veteran was another suspect. He further claims that the president’s assassination was simply a “conspiracy of several people, for which Lee Harvey Oswald was simply the trigger man. It involved a circle of mobsters, anti-Castro Cubans and right wing political activists.”(Gerald, 49).
Conclusion
Thus, President J. F Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, who according to David Kaiser, was only used to pull the trigger. Other parties were involved for their own reasons, politics being the major reason. Kennedy remains a martyr in the history of America in his devotion to the social and political livelihood of thousands (Kaiser, 96).
Works Cited
David E. Kaiser. The road to Dallas: the assassination of John F. Kennedy. New York: Harvard University Press, 2008.
Gerald Ford. President John F. Kennedy: Assassination Report of the Warren Commission. New York: Gerald Ford 2005.
Harrison Livingstone. The Radical Right and the Murder of John F. Kennedy: Stunning Evidence in the Assassination of the President. London: Trafford Publishing, 2004.
Lucia Raatma. John F. Kennedy. New York: Compass Point Books, 2002.
Sheila Rivera. Assassination of John F. Kennedy. New York: ABDO, 2004.
Walter Cronkite, Nashville Tennessean newspaper, November 23rd 1963, CBS News.
Nashville Tennessean Nashville Tennessean – November 23, 1963 – Nashville TN Nashville Tennessean – November 23, 1963 – Nashville TN- November 23, 1963 – Nashville TN
